How do I perform a DNS lookup?

Enter a DNS name and select one type: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA or SRV. DNS Lookup queries Cloudflare’s recursive resolver over HTTPS. There is no ALL option; select each type you need. Use the exact name, such as _dmarc.example.com for a DMARC TXT record.

There is no signup or charge for using this tool. Cloudflare or your network may still limit requests or fail to answer; availability and unlimited querying are not guaranteed.

Who receives my query?

The DNS request goes directly from your browser to Cloudflare, which receives the name and your connection’s public IP. Recent names are kept locally and the shareable URL contains the query. Opening that URL also sends it to our hosting service. Our application handlers do not write a query database.

Does this prove a change has propagated everywhere?

No. It is one recursive resolver’s answer at one moment, possibly from cache. The displayed TTL is not a global countdown. Check the authoritative servers and use Resolver Compare for a sample of other recursive answers. NXDOMAIN, an empty successful answer and SERVFAIL mean different things.

DNS Lookup — Records and TTL

Look up a DNS name and record type

A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and SRV through Cloudflare DNS-over-HTTPS.

How to query

Enter the exact name; verification TXT records can live under a subdomain.
Select a type and press Lookup.
Read the values and response code.
For a recent change, compare authoritative data and other resolvers separately.

Common uses

Inspect a host address.
Check MX and TXT at the correct name.
Inspect a CNAME alias.
Observe the TTL returned by this resolver.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I see old data?

Cloudflare can return its own cached answer. Lowering TTL now does not erase an answer already cached.

What does an empty answer mean?

With code 0, no records were returned in Answer for that query. NXDOMAIN (3) reports a missing name or target; SERVFAIL (2) is a resolution failure.

Is the query private?

Cloudflare receives the name and your IP. Recent queries are stored in this browser and the link can contain the name. Read the policy before using sensitive targets.

What this lookup tells you

The result is one recursive resolver’s answer. It may be cached and does not replace an authoritative query or represent every network.

Eight record types, one per query
TTL in seconds
DNS error code when reported by the resolver
Direct browser request to Cloudflare

Free. No signup. Browser tools (subnet, JWT, password strength) run locally; lookup tools query public APIs (Cloudflare DoH, RDAP, certificate logs). Full per-tool breakdown at /methodology/.

Sources (3)

Mockapetris, P. (1987). Domain Names — Implementation and Specification. RFC 1035, IETF.
Hoffman, P., & McManus, P. (2018). DNS Queries over HTTPS (DoH). RFC 8484, IETF.
Thomson, S., Huitema, C., Ksinant, V., & Souissi, M. (2003). DNS Extensions to Support IP Version 6. RFC 3596, IETF.

These are the IETF RFCs, NIST publications, and W3C standards the tool implements or queries. Locate them on the IETF Datatracker (datatracker.ietf.org) or the official standards body.

Related guides

By Marco B. · Site build October 2026 — see methodology for limits